Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

A great read. Great fish preparation recipies, too.

I am old enough to remember my Norwegian immigrand grandparents, talk about codfish like was indeed, delivered to the virtuous directly from the hand of God. I recall seeing these fish, longer than my fathers' arm, displayed on crushed ice in the markets of Reykjavik in the early 70's. I also recall how upsetting it was to hear that the Canadians had place a ban on fishing cod on the Grand Banks in 1992, due to the threat of potential collapse of the cod biomass in the Atlantic. This is a quick and breezy ode to the North Atlantic species venerated by most of the world's population. Sprinkled with WONDERFUL recipies, it should appeal to those interested in cooking great simple food like grandma made, and enviornmentalists concerned with the failures of bad regulatory policy. The writing is engaging. Even if you are not thrilled with the prospect of a cod fish dinner, everyone interested on continuing to live here on earth should to try to understand how humans need to mitigate the past the destruction of all of earth's bounty. My husband is an often "commercial" fisherman. My stepson is trying to earn a living in the same profession, and watching the government attempts at stewardship of American territorial waters is like watching a Shakespearian tragedy from the stage wings. Even if you know the outcome of the story, you still weep. I'd like to know that one day, my great granchildren will be able to enjoy a fine cod fish dinner on Christmas Eve.

Highly recommended

Fascinating Read.!!! Absolutely wonderful book about this Historic and Significant FISH. Would sincerely recommend this as a very interesting account of a fishery we all have taken for granted.

Highly recommend

Very interesting book - full of surprising historical detail. The story of cod might seem a little bland - but the book grabs the reader from thie first pages. Thought provoking.

Great read!!!!!

It was an excellent book, and i loved it. The last 30 pages are just recipies though.

Cod

This was the most boring book i have ever read. I dont see why anyone would write a book on how cod changed the world. If you want to write a book on how something changed the world pick something that actualy did!

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Great read

A very good look at the way humans can affect an ecosystem that was once thought to be inexhaustable.

Nothing Fishy Here

Who knew what an impact one species of fish could have on the history of the world? But impact it, cod certainly has. From England to Iceland to Newfoundland, Spain, the US and Scandinavia, cod figured prominently over the several hundred years.

What could have been a very dry read was made quite compelling by Kurlansky. He included the politics, the biology, the economics and the environmental impact while always remembering the humanity that depends on the sea for their livelihood.

Kurlansky also nicely ties in the topic of another of his books, "Salt". Seems that cod could not have become such a staple around the world without it.

A short, but information packed book.

Kurlansky Strikes Again

Mark Kurlansky has an astounding capacity to write great books about mundane subjects. Who would think that a book about the fat, unattractive cod could be so interesting, or so important to global history? Readers of Kurland's history of salt would have had a hint of cod's importance, and hopefully made more sensitive to the incredible importance of the simple things all around us. His epigrams are absolutely wondeful, and the interspersal of cod recipes works seamlessly. A great story well told.

Interesting history of the the North Atlantic

An easy read, this book makes one wonder why there is no mention of these people taught in early history class. One wonders if the Cod industry really had such a profound effect on history.It is delightful to beleive that all presented is fact. Very interesting even if you don't care for fish.

Worth the time

I heard this book-on-tape daily while driving to work. It was so enthralling that I couldn't wait to get in traffic jams to hear the next bit. Fortunately, the non-linear format fit well with listenting to short (or long) blurbs.

The Things You Don't know

It's a bit haphazard, but fascinating to read as places and facts come together to tell a story that we're in real danger of forgetting. Cod is something you see laid out white and usually frozen in a glistening steel case. It has little connection with the fish and the people who pursued it. I was left with a feeling of loss at the thought that the teeming millions of fat cod that built countries are gone and if they dare to return, they will be harvested so efficiently that there won't be time to develop another culture around them.

The Best 'Fish Story.'

This is a book packed with little known facts aboout the history of the United States. If history could be taught in high schools from writings such as 'Cod', I am sure children would leave school with a much better understanding of history. This book was picked for our book club. Everyone was amazed at the facts revealed in 'Cod' and it allowed for a long discussion over our meal which of course was cod.

Fascinating story that ties many historical events togehter

I read this book twice in paper and am also putting it onto my e-book for easy reference. A good read but more importantly it ties together many important historical events, such as the revolutionary war, slavery, discovery of America, settling of America and the world economy. It also show how people lived in the 17 and 18 hundreds. A fascinating book.

Very Entertaining

This book was SO interesting! And I am not even a fisherman, in fact I am a 37 year old mom and housewife and graphic designer. It was so well written I always looked forward to the next chapter and on occasion even laughed out loud!

the Book That Surprised Me

When I picked up this book, i expected a dry historical account. Instead, I found an amusingly informative description of the plight of the cod and how the situation developed. I strongly recommend this for anyone interested in history, activism, or fish :)

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